Mr. Speaker, on April 17, I asked the government a question, and the response provided by the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada was unacceptable, which is why we are here now for this debate this evening.
I stated the following:
...after more than a decade of Liberal policies, life is unaffordable. The latest MNP consumer debt index report states that 70% of British Columbians say rising food prices and gas prices are straining their finances. The Liberals voted against reducing taxes that increase the cost of gas by 25¢ a litre. They voted against removing taxes on food that drive up the cost of groceries.
Then I asked the government:
Why will the Liberals not provide Canadians some relief by adopting our Conservative plan to cut taxes on gas and food, and make life more affordable for Canadians?
My question was on fuel and grocery costs, things Canadians need and purchase every day. In response, the Liberals decided to put up a housing minister, who parroted preprocessed Liberal talking points about housing. By refusing to deliver reliefs that are within its reach, the Liberal government is refusing to recognize the problem, refusing to make life more affordable, and forcing more Canadians to be reliant on government rebates just to put food on the table.
When I had a group of students in my office this week, they were genuinely concerned for their future because of the massive increases not just in the cost of their education but also in the cost of daily living. They have almost given up on the dream of owning a home that their parents were able to achieve. I do not know what it will take for the Liberal government to realize that its inflationary policies are part of the problem these students and other Canadians are facing.
The Liberal government could remove the fuel standard tax and the industrial carbon tax to instantly reduce the cost of fuel and groceries for Canadians, but it continues to make things worse with inflationary spending that Canadians are forced to repay with interest. Speaking of interest, the debt the government has piled up will that mean roughly $3,400 per Canadian family will go toward serving the federal debt's interest this year alone. That is just interest, not repayment of the debt.
I will repeat my question from April 17 once more, this time in hopes that the government will give Canadians an answer they really need and deserve, instead of preprocessed talking points from the minister's office: Why will the Liberals not provide Canadians some relief by adopting our Conservative plan to cut taxes on gas and food to make life more affordable for Canadians?